The £61.5m transfer battle Manchester United should think twice about involving themselves inplaceholder image
The £61.5m transfer battle Manchester United should think twice about involving themselves in | Getty Images
Man United are open to the sale of this key player in 2026
The captain has been the centre of many transfer rumours recently, especially with United keen on signing new midfielders. Fernandes has been named as a target for clubs in Saudi Arabia for a while now but reportedly rejected the chance to move to the Pro League over the summer.
The 31-year-old had been headhunted by Al-Hilal but he turned down an eye-watering offer to remain at Old Trafford and challenge for silverware. Reports at the time claimed Fernandes was offered an astronomical £1 million-per-week deal and United would have received up to £100 million for the sale.
Man United ‘open’ to selling Bruno Fernandes as Saudi Arabia remain keen
Al-Hilal remain interested in Fernandes, while their league rivals Al-Ittihad are also keen on signing the Portuguese international.
According to CaughtOffside, United are ‘increasingly open’ to selling the skipper and the club are ‘expecting bids’ for his signature in the coming transfer windows. Fernandes has been identified as the club’s ‘most sellable asset’ and they could let him go for a fee of £70 million.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have been looking at ways to make Manchester United more financially stable since their takeover. Poor Premier League results also suggested a player exodus was on the cards, after it was reported over the summer that United had opened the door for any player to leave the club.
Fernandes has firmly established himself as a solid and crucial player for United, having now made more than 300 appearances in red. However, as he is viewed as a player who would bring in the most cash from a sale, Ruben Amorim and co could be tempted to sell up in order to fund big money moves to aid the team’s growth.
Who are Man United looking to sign?
By now, it’s no secret that United are looking to revamp their midfield with more than one statement signing. TEAMtalk reported last month that the Red Devils were considering a three in, three out strategy, which would involve the sale of Fernandes.
According to the report, this major reshuffle would also involve the permanent exits of Marcus Rashford and Casemiro. The triple exit would free up significant space on the club’s wage bill and also add money to the pot for what could cost them £250 million to pursue their three main targets.
The transfer targets in question are Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace, in-demand Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson, and Carlos Baleba of Brighton and Hove Albion.
Amorim reportedly isn’t happy with bringing just one player in either, as he wants to sign all three of these leading targets. At the time of the report, Wharton was valued roughly at £70 million, Anderson at £80 million, and Baleba at £100 million.
Naturally, these figures could change between now and the upcoming transfer windows. But as all three players are important to their clubs, it’s unlikely the quoted price tags will reduce, unless Nottingham Forest are forced to sell Anderson for cheaper if they lose their relegation battle.
Continue Reading